Gold jewelry is in demand in many countries of the world: the precious metal of the color of the sun has a beautiful luster, it is plastic and allows craftsmen to embody bold creative ideas, and also goes well with natural and artificial stones. The quality of a gold product is confirmed by a special sign - a sample. We will find out why it is needed and what information can be obtained if we carefully consider the stigma.
Only in fairy tales do heroes wear rings, bracelets, crowns of pure gold. In reality, it is difficult to make such a piece of jewelry - the metal is too soft. To make the future jewelry durable and wear-resistant, gold is alloyed with other “components” (they are called ligatures) - most often silver, platinum, copper, zinc, nickel. The buyer cannot control this process, but can find out how much gold is in the product by a special mark - a sample. The more precious metal in the alloy, the more expensive the piece of jewelry, which is why this information is so important.
According to the current legislation in Russia and the CIS countries, any products whose alloys include more than 30% of the precious metal must be branded. In order to regulate the sale of jewelry on the territory of the country, the quality and authenticity mark is put not by the manufacturer, but by the state inspection of assay supervision.
Externally, the sample is a contour of a blade, inside of which there is an imprint in the form of a profile of a girl in a kokoshnik facing to the right side, an alphabetic character of the state inspection cipher and a digital sign of the sample, showing the content of the precious metal in 1000 parts of the alloy. For example, the number 585 on the inside of a ring or the lock of a gold chain means that 1000 grams of the alloy contains 585 grams of gold.
| An imprint with a five-pointed star symbol and a hammer and sickle engraved inside indicates that the marking of the precious metal product was made before 1991 - during the Soviet era. |
What "numbers" can be seen on Russian-made gold jewelry? According to the list of samples: 375, 500, 583, 585, 750. This is the metric system, which is also common in some countries of the post-Soviet space.
Decoration 375 samples strong and light, in addition to gold, they are based on copper, silver and palladium. Unfortunately, after some time, the products may fade, darken or change color due to the composition of the ligature. Their main advantage is their low cost.
Decoration 585 samples - an excellent option in terms of price - quality. If platinum group metals are included in the ligature, the product will cost more. This so-called white gold is durable, resistant to abrasion and changes in air temperature.
Jewelry 750 samples - a profitable investment, the alloy contains 75% of the precious metal. Due to its ease of processing and resistance to external influences, it is considered the “gold standard of quality” among manufacturers. Depending on the ratio of the ligature, the product can be given different shades, including, for example, pink, which is especially relevant today.
If a gold item was purchased in the USA, Great Britain or Switzerland, it may have a different designation of the sample - in the karat system. Don't be surprised if you see the numbers 9, 12, 14 or 18 on the product. The mass of such jewelry is conditionally divided into 24 parts, and a two-digit number indicates the amount of gold in it. Converting the sample value from the metric system to carat is quite simple, it is enough to use a coefficient of 0,024.
| Sample 750 product example
To convert the sample value from the metric to carat system, you need to perform a simple action: 750 × 0,024 = 18 So, 750 sample of the metric system corresponds to 18 sample in carat. |
There are also 916, 958 and 900 samples, but they are quite rare - due to their high softness, they are almost never used in the production of everyday jewelry. 500 and 875 samples are often used for gilding, and 583 is acceptable for custom-made jewelry.
The designation of the sample is put not only on the jewelry, but also on the jewelry tag - the passport of the product. Pay attention to the coincidence of these parameters before buying.
